Chapter 371 - 369: Geological Expert
With several support columns as the meridians and dozens of circular rings as the parallels, a cylindrical structure made of a grid quickly rose in the snow pit.
This is the main structure of the heat hub; all the rings are nested on the support columns and connected to support points via welding and bolts, making the whole setup extremely stable. Even when Chen Xin pushed against it twice using Power Armor, it did not wobble.
The stability of the main support frame also means a solid foundation for the subsequent construction.
Workers began Phase Two of the construction by installing evaporative cooling devices and related piping on the main support frame and the snow pit’s walls.
The entire installation consists of four phases, with the remaining two involving the installation of the outer cooling panels and the overall assembly.
Compared to drilling and clearing snow, the installation is relatively simple. According to the original construction schedule, it should take the workers two days to complete the full installation.
However, thanks to the workers’ high morale, these energetic workers have significantly accelerated the schedule. Based on the current progress, the entire schedule has been advanced by approximately half a day, shortening the timeline by 30%, which is quite an impressive achievement.
Nonetheless, compared to the schedule progress, Chen Xin is more concerned that another issue might delay the timeline.
The concern is about the location of the water reinjection well.
This water reinjection well can’t be drilled just anywhere; the reason has been explained earlier. Until geological experts arrive, the construction of the reinjection well cannot commence.
Thus, Chen Xin is worried that the extraction well might be completed, and the heat hub could be operational, but the reinjection well might still lack a suitable location.
In such a case, unless Chen Xin decides to discharge the extractable geothermal water directly—which could be reused—the construction schedule will inevitably be delayed.
Fortunately, Chen Xin’s worry didn’t materialize. As workers were installing core components of the steam cooling devices on the main support frame, another train arrived at Lin City’s train station.
This train brought, besides government-dispatched disaster relief supplies in response to Lin City’s situation, the materials Chen Xin needed, along with the crucial geological experts.
Not just one geological expert arrived but a geological survey group composed of several geological experts.
"You must be Comrade Chen Xin, right? Hello, hello! I’m from Xiang Province’s Geological Bureau, my last name is Zhang, you can call me Old Zhang." An elderly man, with robust and powerful hands, warmly greeted Chen Xin: "These are my colleagues, as instructed by our superiors, we will cooperate with your work. Just let me know if you need anything."
This self-proclaimed Old Zhang is clearly nearing his eighties but is very vigorous. Even in a Protective Suit, Chen Xin could sense the vitality and spirit emitted from this elder, along with his energetic enthusiasm.
Chen Xin was somewhat surprised by Old Zhang’s age, but considering the time needed for scholarly work and the field data collection required in geological work, he wasn’t too shocked by the elder’s age.
As for the other geological survey team members who came with Old Zhang, they were relatively young, but only compared to Old Zhang. Besides two who seemed to be college students, the remaining three members were also over forty.
Through Old Zhang’s introductions, Chen Xin learned that these three middle-aged men were Old Zhang’s students from back in the day. After graduating, they have worked in geology for over twenty years, from young teens like the two college students, to now middle-aged uncles.
Looking at these geological experts, Chen Xin deeply felt what it means to dedicate a lifetime to one’s career.
Chen Xin did not engage in too much small talk with the geological experts. After greeting and introducing himself, Chen Xin used the mechanical arm of the Power Armor to project the heat hub design and explained to them: "This setup uses hydrothermal geothermal resources buried at a depth of about 400-800 meters to obtain thermal energy. The main working principle is to extract geothermal spring water, which is far warmer than the surrounding environment, for the evaporative cooling device to dissipate heat externally.
While the device can operate independently, directly extracting underground spring water would be a huge waste of underground water and geothermal resources. It would also affect the stability of underground geological structures, hence the need to drill a reinjection well in the same aquifer to re-inject the cooled spring water back underground.
Since we lack relevant geological knowledge and related data, we cannot determine where the reinjection well should be drilled. Therefore, we need Professor Zhang and your team to assist us in locating the distribution and paths of the aquifer we’ve reached and determining the location of the reinjection well so that we can promptly commence the reinjection well’s construction."
"This equipment is very convenient! Directly projecting the blueprints; if we had this when doing geological work in the past, we wouldn’t need to carry around a bunch of heavy and bulky blueprints. Technology is really advanced now!" Old Zhang remarked, nodding at Chen Xin: "I understand the situation already. Before coming, my superiors also briefed me about it, so I brought the geothermal exploration data collected in Xiang Province over the years. With these, we only need to conduct a field survey to determine the aquifer distribution and suitable drilling site for the reinjection well that Comrade Chen Xin needs."
Old Zhang seems to have developed the habit of swift action over years of work. While speaking with Chen Xin, he had the two young college students open their luggage and unfold the relevant maps before Chen Xin.
Old Zhang pointed to the symbols marked on the map and said to Chen Xin: "Comrade Chen Xin, look here. This is the mountainous area where Lin City is located. This mountain range is a fracture zone, and its geothermal resources are quite rich and dense.
The well you are drilling now should be in a geothermal layer covering the entire Lin City area. The underground energy storage is very abundant. It would be great if it could be effectively utilized!"
Old Zhang’s expression was filled with determined enthusiasm. Even though his eyebrows had turned white, he was much more spirited than the young college students responsible for moving items.
After explaining the relevant situation to Chen Xin, he left the two young college students to settle the luggage and set up their accommodation, while he and his three students, along with a Lin City staff member found by Chen Xin, headed out with the necessary surveying instruments.